Saturday, 17 December 2016

Christmas tree of solidarity in Baghdad

Christmas tree of solidarity in Baghdad

Baghdad: A Muslim businessman has erected
the tallest Christmas tree in Baghdad as a show of solidarity with
Christians during the holiday season.

Yassir Saad said on Thursday that the initiative aims at “joining our
Christian brothers in their holiday celebrations and helping Iraqis
forget their anguish, especially the war in Mosul,” where Iraqi forces
are battling the Islamic State group.

The 85-foot-tall artificial tree, with a diameter of 33 feet, has
been erected in the centre of an amusement park in the Iraqi capital.
Saad says the initiative cost around $24,000.

“This tree represents love and peace,” said teacher Saba Ismael, as
her visiting students took pictures in front of the tree. “I wish all
Iraqi Christians could return to Iraq and live normal and peaceful
lives.” Iraq’s Christian community has steadily dwindled since the 2003
US-led invasion. Christians have been targeted by Islamic extremists on
several occasions, and have also fled the country for better economic
opportunities.

Thousands of Christians fled Mosul and surrounding areas when ISIS
swept across northern Iraq in the summer of 2014. The extremist group
forces Christians to convert to Islam or pay a special tax, and often
confiscates their property.
Some have managed to return to villages outside Mosul that have been
retaken by Iraqi forces, only to find that their homes have been
ransacked.